PERSONAL TRIBUTES

What Writers Around The World Have To Say About Working with Edward Pomerantz On Their Screenplays

"EDDIE POMERANTZ is the MAC DADDY of screenwriting coaches."

David Wright, New York City

"Working with Ed is a great experience. He searches deeply to help you create a story with human complexity. He's an extraordinary teacher."

Rosa Elena Velasco, Mexico City

"Eddie has a deep and instinctive understanding of the emotional routemap of a story. He was able to unravel some difficult issues in my screenplay and showed me a number of possible solutions without ever seeking to impose. He's an expert."

Richard Crawford, Belfast, Ireland

"Eddie doesn't just teach, he inspires. You leave his class and you just want to ignore all your friends and meals and daily chores and lock yourself in your room with your screenplay so that nothing can disrupt the beam of inspired artistic energy that Eddie generates from his mouth to your pen."

Rebecca Markowitz, New York City

"Working on my screenplay with Eddie was like walking into a creative whirlwind; hidden threads were pulled up, undeveloped plot gold discovered. Eddie approaches dramatic art with a humane passion and the fiercest intelligence. Fortunately, for his students, it's infectious. Not only was I left with a rejuvenated screenplay, but also a greater understanding of why it is I write."

Andrew Ubogu, Cornwall, England

"When I first met Eddie I was an actor simply hoping to write. I had started several projects, but around page 30, my stories would lose their steam and I would be lost. To my pleasant surprise, just a few weeks into Eddie's class, I had my first finished draft. What helped me was Eddie's unique approach to screenwriting. He doesn't focus on "technique" in the traditional sense. He does not use words such as "plot-point" or  "motivation" or "hooks." Instead, he urges storytellers to make choices that make sense for the character in the moment. The story moves forward and deepens seemingly effortlessly. I discovered that by following a character's "next logical move," the story found its way of telling itself. The "arc" and all the "plot-points" fell perfectly into place. What I love most about Eddie is his generosity of spirit, his passion for and commitment to his students. Each week he enters the class bursting with all the realizations he's had about our stories, pulling out a newspaper article that will help one writer, or a DVD that will inspire another. Teaching is far from just a "job" for him."

Rhonda Ross, New York City

"Working with Eddie helped me excavate the core meaning of my story and ultimately create a moving and powerful draft of my screenplay."

Gene Ashe, New York City

"Eddie's a rejuvenator. He breathes life into your work, walking through it with you beat by beat. He leads you to the pulse of your piece. His passion is total. As is his commitment. When you have Eddie on board the confusion stops and the sculpting begins."

Colin McLaren, Glasgow, Scotland

"My experience working with Eddie Pomerantz was both life changing and career defining. Eddie not only taught me the fundamentals of screenwriting but the power of storytelling. He taught me to build the tension, not to be afraid to go all the way, and to keep my dialogue concise and powerful.  Eddie is a master storyteller and the most passionate and honest mentor I've had in my 12-year filmmaking career."

Michael Baez, Los Angeles

"Working with Eddie Pomerantz has opened up my creative vision and writing abilities to levels I never imagined. His passion for great stories and characters consistently motivates me to work through the tough times and make breakthroughs in my scripts that I could never have made without his wisdom and experience."

Marquis Smalls, New York City

"Working with Eddie is an invigorating and stimulating experience. Unexpected ideas come flying, opening up new vistas, yet always accompanied by his respect and perception of the original material."

Charlotte Trench, Paris, France

"I met Edward Pomerantz in Oaxaca, Mexico, at a screenwriting lab. He had read my script, looked me in the eyes, and told me he had lots of questions. I was scared. At our first working meeting I was surprised at the in-depth knowledge he had of my script. He was able to talk about the characters, the situations, the storyline, the atmosphere, as if he himself were the author. He sang the praises of all the good points and went straight on to fire questions, reflections, comments that brought out the weak points. Then we were both left thinking, and the next meeting Eddie didn't only have questions, but rather proposals for work, suggestions made with delicacy, with care, almost with a fear of invading. His words, as well as being passionate, were simple, clear, sharp, pointed, tough. I left Mexico with a sense of urgency, with a profound wish to sit down and work, to make the most of all I had heard and learned about movies, about scripts, about my story, about myself. I'll never forget it."

Pablo Solarz, Buenos Aires, Argentina

"Eddie is one of those rare teachers who understands (and adores) the creative process.  By his example foremost, he encourages and challenges us to become more honest writers. Eddie demands that we know our characters fully, that we tell our stories bravely, that we commit to our scripts deeply. Simply put, Eddie has taught me the art of truly original screenwriting."

Taiye Tuakli-Wosornu, New York City

"Edward Pomerantz was the perfect guide to help me with my screenplay. Whether he was quoting Ted Williams, enthusiastically portraying the characters I had written or telling hilarious anecdotes about his career, Eddie always knew exactly what to say to provide the inspiration and motivation to keep me working."

Jacob Kaufman, Kanagawa, Japan

"Edward Pomerantz's talent as a writer and his knowledge in the art of screenwriting interact with his passion for teaching. His excitement in helping people in their quest to become screenwriters is contagious and a great source of inspiration."

Hristo Hristov, New York City

"What you get out of working with Edward Pomerantz is keeping your story's heart so that it's not  just "entertainment."

Alan Duff, Havelock North, New Zealand

"When I joined Eddie's workshop, I was not prepared for the journey I was about to take. This may sound corny, but I see Eddie's workshop as a boxing ring. He takes on your story scene by scene and squeezes every image, every emotion, every character's flavor out of you. Often he gives you an unexpected upper cut and knocks the wind out of you with his brilliant ideas. Just when you think it's over, he jumps back in and makes you reach deep into places in your heart and mind you didn't even know you had. The prize is a well told story and a room full of very proud writers. He is selfless, passionate, dedicated, and devoted to his craft and his students. I admire and respect him immensely."

Lillian Santos, New York City

"Without Eddie Pomerantz, I would never have written my film script.  It was Eddie's creative and supportive mentoring that helped me refine and complete the story until it was ready to sell."

Ingeborg Lichtenberg, Johannesburg, South Africa